Seeking help for an alcohol problem is something most eventual alcoholics admit they initially refused to consider. The disease of alcoholism is cunning and baffling that way. It is a sickness that attempts to convince us that we aren’t really sick at all.
Of course, invariably life throws us problems and setbacks, often mandated circumstances where we must look at the reality of our alcohol abuse. When we finally come to our senses and realize we might be an alcoholic, asking for help is the next logical step. One common way to start a lifelong journey in recovery is through a treatment program.
There have been statistics on success rates about which program is better, tossed around Infinitum. There different program lengths and in-patient vs. out-patient debates. Here’s some information for you about success rates for different alcohol treatment programs.
What Do the Statistics Really Show?
No matter what manner of treatment someone attempts to help them stay sober, the burden is on the individual more so than on any particular treatment model. Most alcohol treatment programs base the general guidelines for their program on some form of a 12-step model.
There are recovery professionals who view 12-step programs as too demanding. While recovery statistics point to alcoholics seeking treatment as having a slightly better-than-average chance of avoiding relapse, finding supportive hard data is difficult.
The problem with statistics is that frequently there are no records for individuals who have participated in some initial form of treatment, relapsed, and then found an alternative way to save their lives. They received their initial exposure to treatment and a model for recovery during their treatment experience.
Opinions about how long an alcohol treatment program needs to be are also often debated. Most people have heard of the term 28-days. While it’s as much associated with a popular motion picture by the same name, there are 28-day alcohol treatment programs.
There are also treatment centers that advocate as much as a full calendar year to help ensure consistent sobriety. The tendency is to appreciate that, and depending on individual circumstances, something in the middle is probably advisable.
We can also discuss the difference in success rates between out-patient and in-patient programs. While one is geared to a residential level of intensity, they both aspire to provide a foundation for living a clean and sober life.
One blatant statistic that we do have is the startling number of drug and alcohol-related deaths. Success rates for treatment programs also can only count those alcoholics who have successfully completed a treatment program and reported they are still sober.
So, what we have is a mishmash of statistical data used for a variety of objectives. While there may not be a convincing amount of direct evidence that treatment is a must, there certainly is another aspect of this discussion. What happens when an alcohol problem is ignored and there is no treatment program?
No Treatment Is a Prescription for Failure
Stories abound about alcoholics who have attempted a multitude of methods in a futile effort to stay sober. One statistic that cannot ever be measured or ignored is the number of individuals who try to attain sobriety on their own, but fail.
However, there isn’t going to be readily available data to prove how many self-treatment alcoholic’s lives plummet further to a point of desperation. They hit a jumping-off point where they’re miserable with or without alcohol. However, there is enough evidence to support one truth.
Alcoholics who fail to seek any type of treatment help seem to be invariably destined to relapse. Since the consequences of untreated alcoholism could eventually be jail time, institutions or even death. In light of these painful consequences, it seems rather logical that a treatment program is a wise choice.
If you want to continue drinking, that’s your prerogative. If you want to stop but cannot, that’s the objective of an alcohol treatment program. Sure, the success rate for you getting and staying sober will require effort on your part.
No treatment program can honestly claim without any reservation a 100-percent guarantee you’ll stay sober after you leave. But, given the dismal alternatives, treatment is always a viable option. When you consider the potential devastation that continued alcohol abuse will cause, treatment is more than just a good idea; it may save your life.
Reach out for help today at 800-411-8019. Whatever treatment program you choose will statistically give you a far better chance at beating your alcoholism than no treatment program at all ever can. Keep in mind the ultimate consequence of not getting help, your life.